Dispensing petrol as a fuel: Health and safety guidance for
employees

Do you work at a petrol filling-station or any other site
where petrol is stored and dispensed as a fuel?

If so, this leaflet is for you. It explains what you and your
employer need to do in order to safeguard your health and safety
and that of others.

Petrol - the dangers

Petrol is a highly flammable liquid which can give off
flammable vapour, even at very low temperatures. This means
there is always a risk of fire or explosion if a source of
ignition is present;

It floats on the surface of water and may travel long
distances, eventually causing danger away from the place where
it escaped;

Petrol vapour does not disperse easily and may also travel
long distances. It tends to sink to the lowest possible level
and may collect in tanks, cavities, drains, pits, or other
enclosed areas, where there is little air movement;

Flammable atmospheres may be present in empty tanks and
petrol cans. There is also a danger if petrol is spilled on
clothing, rags etc;

Petrol vapour can be harmful if inhaled. Petrol should not
be swallowed and contact with the skin should be avoided.

What you need to know

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act your employer has a
responsibility towards you, both to take all reasonable steps to
ensure your safety, and to equip you to do your job without
danger to yourself or others.

You also have a duty to look after your own safety and that of
others.

Risk assessment

Your employer has a legal responsibility to carry out an
assessment of the risks arising from the operation of your site
and to take steps to eliminate or control those risks. You should
inform your employer if you identify any potentially dangerous
situations which are not being controlled. The essential steps to
the risk assessment are:

Step
1

Look for the hazards;

Step
2

Decide who might be harmed and how;

Step
3

Evaluate the risks arising from the hazards and decide
whether existing precautions are adequate or more should be
done;

Step
4

Record the significant findings of the assessment;

Step 5

Review the assessment from time to time and revise it if
necessary.

Training

You should have received training on the correct safety
procedures for any of the following tasks for which you are
responsible:

Operating dispensing equipment, and recognising and
reporting faults;

Recording tank contents and meter readings;

Using other site equipment, and recognising and reporting
faults;

Dealing with potential danger, including the use of
firefighting equipment, dealing with leakages and spillages,
notifying the emergency services and recording accident
damage;

Procedures when delivery of petrol takes place -
only people appointed and trained as 'competent
persons' under the appropriate Regulations may receive
deliveries;

You also need to know...

the importance to safety of a clean and tidy forecourt with
no flammable materials in danger zones;

site security practices and how to follow them;

Personal protection and hygiene

the value of protective clothing, such as footwear, gloves
and goggles, and when to wear them;

the need to wash properly with plenty of soap and water
after finishing work, or at any time when you get petrol or oil
on your hands;

the correct methods of handling and lifting.

Do make sure you have the information and training needed to
carry out your duties safely. If in doubt, ask.

Don't carry out any task for which you have not been
properly trained. Don't assume you know the dangers or the
correct safety procedures.

Dispensing petrol safely

If you are under the age of 18 you should not be left in sole
charge of a filling-station.

Before a petrol dispenser is used (whether by you or by
customers) you should make sure there is no danger. Control has
to be constant to prevent dangerous situations
occurring.

Make sure that...

each vehicle and the person using a dispenser can be seen
and that your view is not obstructed;

proper procedures are followed throughout the filling
operation, eg dispenser nozzles are correctly inserted,
delivery hoses are not stretched or kinked and tripper latches
are not wedged open;

at filling-stations the loudspeaker system and any
closed-circuit TV is working correctly;

vehicle engines are switched off when at the
dispensers;

people under the age of 16 do not buy petrol or operate
dispensers;

no one smokes in the vicinity of the dispenser (ie in
danger zones);

no one uses portable electric/electronic equipment such as
a CB radio or portable telephone;

people wishing to fill containers with petrol use only
those which are approved.

Always check carefully that there is no danger before you
start the petrol dispenser and during its operation.

Fire precautions

There should be:

adequate means for contacting the fire brigade when
necessary;

suitable equipment for dealing with minor incidents;

a supply of dry sand and fire extinguishers readily
available;

conspicuous notices - 'Petrol' or 'Petroleum
Spirit', 'Highly Flammable', 'No Smoking',
and 'Switch Off Engine' - positioned close to pumps and
dispensers to alert customers to the hazards.

Make sure you know what you are expected to do and who you
should inform if there is a dangerous incident.

Further information

More detailed information is contained in the booklet, the APEA/IP Code of practice for the design, construction and operation of petrol filling stations, available from The Administrator, Association for Petroleum and Explosives Administration, PO Box 2, Hadleigh, Suffolk IP7 5SF.Additional single copies of this leaflet version of this document are available free from HSE Books. It is also available in priced packs of 15, price £5.00 (discounts available for multiples), from HSE Books, ISBN 0 7176 1098 5.

HSE priced and free publications are available by mail order from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2WA Tel: 01787 881165 Fax: 01787 313995 Website: http://books.hse.gov.uk (HSE priced publications are also available from bookshops and free leaflets can be downloaded from HSE's website: www.hse.gov.uk.)

Further advice can be obtained from HSE offices (see under
Health and Safety Executive in the telephone directory). For
other enquiries
write to HSE's Information Centre, Broad Lane, Sheffield S3
7HQ..

This document contains notes on good practice which are not compulsory but which you may find helpful in considering what you need to do.